Title

Authors

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1973

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1973.9915630

Abstract

This study investigated the relative polarity and “accuracy” of ratings on personally meaningful versus meaningless personality dimensions. In contrast to previous studies, ratings on dimensons regarded as meaningful were no more polar than ratings on dimensions regarded as meaningless. With respect to accuracy, ratings on the least meaningful personality dimensions were significantly more accurate than ratings on meaningful dimensions when personality test scores and self-ratings were used as criteria. When mean peer ratings were used as criteria, accuracy was higher regardless of the meaningfulness of the dimensions. The results were interpreted in terms of the kinds of dimensions selected as most and least meaningful.